The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1887-03-26
WHITE RIVER TRAGEDY.
This article was crowded out of
last weeks issue.-EDs.

Providence road, near Boston. A
train of nine passenger coaches and
a baggage car, loaded with working
people, was made up at Dedham fol
Boston. At Roslindale many more
passengers got on board, and the
train started up towards Boston.
Just the other side of the Forest Hill
station is the Buzzey Bridge, which
runs obliquely with the track on
either side. The track is built high
up on an embankment, and mead.
ows covered with snow and ice sur
rounded it on either side.
The engine and three cars passed
safely over the bridge, but when the
next car touched the abutment there
was a tremor felt and in an instant
the further end of the bridge gave
way, and the third car breaking
through went down, dragging all the
remaining cars with it. The first
car was turned completely over, and
the Immediately following it broke
through it and smashed it into IL
million splinters. Then came the
other cars, tumbling one after anoth-
err into the street, Il distance of fifty
feet at least.
Those in the forward car who went
down never lived to know what had
happened. They were mangled and
squeezed up in horrible shapes. The
other cars were terribly mixed up
with sleepers, rails, heaters, etc. The
distance from one abutment to the
other is some $50 feet or more and
every particle of the bridge was car
rled away. As a matter of fact. the
stoves were pitched about in all
directions, and how fire was averted
it is impossible to conjecture. The
cars turned completely over. I'm
aginc if you can what could be left
intact after such catastrophe. Out
of the broken sides of the car before
the next was fairly upon it three or
four girls and couple of men were
hurled. They have dislocated and
broken limbs, their heads and faces
are cut and bruised and lacerated.
but they are yet alive and may sur
vive. Very few of those who were
not discntangled from the debris by
the shock lived to know what had
happened. 1t is supposed that more
were killed by the cars falling into
each other than by the force of the
fall itself.
George Sanford of Roslindale was
in the second car of the wrecked
train. He told a thrilling story of
his experience. He said. Il took
the train ut Roslindale with nv
mother; we were sitting in the mid
die of the second car. There was
absolutely nothing to give a pre-
monition of the disaster. All at
once there was crash, a deafenin0
noise, a moment or two of the grind
ing timbers, and then for moment
all was still. 1t had come with such
awful suddenness that everybody
seemed to be paralyzed. Then arose
confusion of sounds from the
wrecked cars below. Voices were
calling out for help, women were
screaming for aid, while all around
us there were groans from those who
were badly hurt or dying. The floor
OF one car seemed to be forced up to
the roof the entire coach having col
lapsed, apparently.
when the crash came our heads
were banged against the roof, while
the seats were strewn about every
where. Many people were under
the seats and some were crushed be-
tween them. Directly in front of us
sat a man named Ryan. one of NV
nelghbors in Roslindale. We were
conversing with him at the moment
OF the crash. Ryan was half turned
IN his seat as he talked and the
moment after the wreck, when he
was actually run through and
through by splinters from the bot
tom of the car. My mother and
were fastened in between our seat
and Ryan's, but | managed to break
OIL Ryan's seat and release ourselves
My mother had tainted, and at first
! thought she was dead. ! pulled
her out through a window and she
soon revived in the open air.
Il then secured a carriage and
sent her home and devoted myself
to hel ping release other passengers.
Inc sight among the debris was hor-
nble. There were many people dead.
pinned down by timbers. many
wounded. All were horribly manal-
ed saw one man working like a
trojan to help Others. The top of
his scalp and his left ear were nearly
tom from his bend. and he ,,..,. l..-..